Radio România Internațional

Tag: allowance

  • Compensations for Romanian transporters

    Compensations for Romanian transporters

    At the end of this month, Romania and Bulgaria, members of the European Union since 2007, will finally be admitted into the Schengen free movement area. But only with the air and maritime borders, not with the land ones, which are crossed by most travelers and goods. A singular voice among the 27 member states of the Union, Austria still has objections regarding the admission of the two countries, although Romania, at least, has been meeting all the technical requirements for more than a decade.

    About 25 million Romanians and Bulgarians continue to feel like second-class Europeans, which, commentators say, will fuel, this year – when elections for the European Parliament are due – the electoral share of Eurosceptic or overtly anti-European parties. Economic analysts point out, in turn, that the burden of keeping Romania outside the Schengen Area was borne by the private sector. In the transport sector alone, losses due to the unjustified delay of accession amount to more than 16 billion euros, accumulated since 2011.

    Everyone seems to agree that the most affected are the drivers of cargo trucks. Due to the controls at the internal borders of the Union, they sometimes lose days in a row in customs. And, upon arrival, the beneficiary of the journey can penalize them for the delay, and the perishable goods arrive already altered. Finally, the Bucharest authorities decided to take measures to compensate for the negative effects on transport activities caused by postponing the Schengen accession.

    Therefore, the food allowance will be instituted for mobile workers in road transport, in the amount of 40 euros per day, and the companies in the field will have the opportunity to grant posting allowances within the limit of four driver’s basic salaries. The bill, initiated by the National Liberal Party (member of the government coalition together with the Social Democratic Party) was unanimously endorsed by the Senate on Monday.

    On behalf of the initiators, Liberal senator Alexandru Nazare said:

    “The introduction of a food allowance. Why? Because it is mandatory at European level. All European states have it. Romanian transporters must clearly state the amount earmarked for a driver’s food. Today they can’t do it, because we don’t have this clearly defined food allowance.”

    From the opposition, the Save Romania Union voted, in turn, in favor of the draft law. Senator Cristian Bordei

    “This bill comes with some really good provisions, but, unfortunately, they reflect the fact that the state has to spend money, because we’re faced with this catastrophic failure regarding the admission of Romania to Schengen with the land borders .”

    The document is now bound for the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making body in this matter. (MI)

  • The staged increase of children’s allowance repelled by Parliament

    The staged increase of children’s allowance repelled by Parliament


    The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest has repelled, in its capacity of decision-making body, the Governments emergency executive order on the staged increase of childrens allowance. Accordingly, the law remains effective, compelling the Government to double childrens allowance, just as it is stipulated in a normative act Parliament passed last year. As for the bill voted in the Chamber of Deputies, it is yet to be promulgated. Childrens allowance was supposed to be increased as early as March 1 this year, from 150 to 300 lei. Disabled children were supposed to receive 600 lei, up from 300 lei. The Government has delayed the implementation date, claiming the lack of funding. President Klaus Iohannis stated the Government acted to the best of its abilities, providing the allowance increase with budgetary resources that were limited by the economic aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Iohannis believed that the repelling by the opposition Social-Democratic Party of the staged increase of childrens allowance was a populist undertaking.



    Klaus Iohannis:



    “The Social Democrats way of doing things, that is repelling, conveyor-belt fashion, of such executive orders, seems like a blunt approach to me, to put it at the mildest. They, just like the government, know all too well we dont have money at our fingertips for that. We are going through an economic crisis, we have problems caused by the epidemic, nay, by the pandemic, as were not the only ones having to go through all that, as the way things develop in other countries influence us as well. “



    Childrens allowance will be doubled, but that will happen in stages. As for the MPs casting their vote in favor of populist laws, they should donate money from their incomes, so that the budget may have more money for the allowance to be doubled, Public Finance Minister Florin Citu said in turn, as a guest in a private TV station show. Citu went on to say the law by means of which childrens allowance was doubled in 2020 was unconstitutional, because it was voted in Parliament with no existing source of financing. Public Finance Minister Citu also said, QUOTE, Even in the situation were having today, that of going through a global economic crisis, considering domestic economy has been closed down for two months, in a bid to keep Romanians healthy, taking into account weve seen a drop in budget revenues, nevertheless, we could find resources for a 20% increase in childrens allowance, UNQUOTE.



    General debates held in the Chamber of Deputies plenary session were preceded by a requirement from the governing National Liberal Party, whereby the draft for the emergency executive order should be resubmitted to the commission. The requirement did not enjoy that much success at the ballot, and was followed by accusations of populism and corruption launched from the Parliamentary stands. The leader of liberal deputies, Florin Roman, lambasted the Social Democrats for their political scheming, as local elections were drawing near. Roman also cautioned against the fact that an allowance increase had to be implemented so that the state budget may not be affected. In turn, the Social Democrats rejected the accusations, calling on the government to find the money that were needed for the increase of childrens allowance. Save Romania Union MPs abstained from voting. As for the Peoples Movement Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, they voted in favor of doubling childrens allowance, calling on the government to refrain from being tight-fisted at the expense of the countrys 3.6 million children.


    (Translation by Eugen Nasta).




  • Romanian troops in theatres of operations

    Romanian troops in theatres of operations

    The daily allowances paid to the Romanian military, gendarmes and police taking part in international missions in theatres of operations or in peacekeeping missions will be updated to reach the same rates as those received by troops from Romanias partner states.



    A government resolution in this respect has been initiated by the interior minister Marcel Vela and defence minister Nicolae Ciuca, and endorsed in Mondays Government meeting. The decision was made following talks with the Romanian troops, during a visit to Afghanistan in December.



    According to a news release issued by the Interior Ministry, decision-makers have also considered the fact that as of recently the security context in the theatres of operations where Romanian troops are active has changed significantly, and the risks that they are subject to have grown more severe.



    Under the new resolution, the per diem rates for military personnel taking part in missions and operations abroad Romania will be based on the risk level in the region where the missions or operations take place, up to a ceiling of 140 euros a day for officers, 130 euros per day for master sergeants and 120 euros per day for privates.



    Where the foreign partners or allied structures that coordinate the missions do not cover the payments for the Romanian troops, the expenses will be covered by the Romanian government.



    In last years meeting, the Supreme Defence Council approved the deployment of a total 2,100 Romanian Army troops and civilians to foreign missions in 2020. The figure accounts for a 200-people increase compared to the previous year. Over 800 of these will continue to serve in Afghanistan. Another 500 troops will be on stand-by in Romania, and may be deployed on short notice.



    In turn, the Interior Ministry approved the participation of nearly 800 staff in international missions.



    Romania became a NATO member in March 2004, in the Alliances biggest eastward enlargement round in history. But Romanian troops had already been present in Afghanistan before the accession, and since 2003 nearly 30 Romanian military have been killed there. Others lost their lives in separate international missions.



    Since 2017 Romania has been earmarking 2% of its GDP to defence, as stipulated in a National Political Agreement that allowed for an increase in budgetary allocations. The move was aimed at enabling a large-scale military upgrade process which involved the national defence industry, in order to safeguard essential security interests.

    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • February 19, 2019 UPDATE

    February 19, 2019 UPDATE

    COMPET – The “Horizon Europe program was the main point on the agenda of the EU Competitiveness Council in Brussels, the innovation and research section. The meeting was chaired by Romanian Research Minister Nicolae Hurduc, who said Romania wants to ensure the necessary conditions for the continuation of the Horizon Europe program starting 2021. This important project should be the core engine of the European Union, which has the human resources and necessary infrastructure to maintain its status of leader in the field of scientific research. The Commission suggests that 100 billion Euros be earmarked for this sector in the following long term budget of the EU, for the 2021-2027 timeframe. The program had supported over 18 thousand projects and had allotted over 31 billion Euros until May 2018.



    BRANCUSI DAY – Romanians on Tuesday celebrated Brancusi Day, devoted to the 143rd birth anniversary of the outstanding sculptor Constantin Brancusi. “The artist embodies Romanian identity in its material and spiritual entirety, succeeding in committing it to the legacy of universal culture, says Ioan-Aurel Pop, the President of the Romanian Academy. An iconic figure of modern art, Constantin Brancusi was born in Romania and moved to Paris. He is recognized as one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century. The National Museum of Modern Art in Paris hosts a great number of Brancusis works, which in his will he left to Romania. However, upon the refusal of the communist authorities in Romania to bring home Brancusis works upon the sculptors death, the collection was bequeathed to France along with the contents of his workshop in Paris. The Romanian Parliament declared February 19 “Brancusi Day in 2015.



    GAC –The European Commission has noticed little progress has been made since December in various domains in Poland “There are also a number of new, worrying developments, especially in the field of disciplinary procedures against judges who make public statements about the rule of law in Poland or who have asked preliminary questions to the European Court of Justice, the First Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, said fresh from the General Affairs Council meeting. “We still have worries about the situation of the constitutional tribunal, he also said. Article 7 might be triggered in Polands case for failure to observe the rule of law. In Brussels, the participating ministers prepared the work agenda of the European Council meeting due next month. The meeting, chaired by the Romanian minister for European affairs, George Ciamba, was devoted to the multi-annual financial framework post 2020, considering a political agreement on the future budget of the EU should be reached as late as this autumn.



    RETRIAL – The High Court of Cassation and Justice on Tuesday admitted the appeal for annulment filed by former Romanian Senator Dan Sova against his 3-year prison sentence in a case where he was charged with influence peddling. The National Anticorruption Directorate accused Sova of having received 100,000 euros in exchange for facilitating a judicial assistance contract between a thermal power plant in Govora and a local law firm. Dan Sova was released from prison in December last year after having served six months of his detention time, following a Constitutional Court ruling concerning the illegal structure of the five-judge panel.



    CHILD ALLOWANCE – The Romanian Government on Tuesday increased the child allowance from some 18 Euros to some 32 Euros a month. The measure will take effect as from March 1, and PM Viorica Dancila has given assurances the necessary sums of money have been included in the state budget law, who has been forwarded to president Klaus Iohannis for promulgation. Also on Tuesday, the government adopted Romanias national selection procedure for European prosecutor. Thus, Bucharest should designate three candidates for the position of European prosecutor by March 31, the justice minister Tudorel Toader has said. According to him, the short term by which nominations can be sent to Brussels comes to explain the urgent adoption of the bill, and the selection procedure will be made by the Justice Ministry.



    FLU – The death toll of the flu epidemic in Romania has reached 138. According to a press release of the National Center for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control, the last three victims are a 68-year-old woman without a previous history of medical diseases who had taken the anti-flu shot and another two women, aged 64 and 81 respectively, both suffering from other medical conditions and who had not taken the anti-flu vaccine.



    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player world no. 2 Simona Halep on Tuesday defeated Eugenie Bouchard of Canada,7-6,6-4, in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Championships, totalling 2.8 million dollars in prize money. Also on Tuesday, the pair made up of Raluca Olaru of Romania and Darija Jurak of Croatia defeated second-seeds Nicole Melichar of the United States and Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic 7-6, 7-6 and have advanced to the doubles quarterfinals. (Translated by V. Palcu and D. Vijeu)